


Two Smart Cookies

by fangs_for_the_memories



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Childhood Friends, F/F, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 07:22:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9710891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangs_for_the_memories/pseuds/fangs_for_the_memories
Summary: When eight-year old Laura Hollis offers her new classmate Carmilla Karnstein chocolate chip cookies on Valentine's Day, she didn't know it'd be the first step to a lifetime of friendship and love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's/Galentine's/Palentine's Day, creampuffs! Hope you enjoy this lil' bit of fluff :D

Cookies.

 

Little eight-year-old Carmilla Karnstein watches as cookies and chocolates and letters are passed between her classmates for Valentine’s Day. The piles in front of the children grow by the second, as does the excitement.

Except for her.

It isn’t that no one likes her.

 

Okay, it isn’t _just_ that no one likes her.

 

It’s that she’d just transferred into this school the week before, and no one knew her yet. Which is par for the course, because she hadn’t known this was a thing at this school, so she didn’t get anything for anyone, either.

But it still feels awful.

 

So she sneaks out of the classroom when she figures no one’s looking, and starts wandering around aimlessly down the halls. A quick peek into a few classrooms confirms that this public school has a tradition where everyone brings in Valentine’s Day presents for classmates.

Carmilla sighs and sits on a windowsill, peeking through the bars.

 _I wished Mother had never gotten that new job_.

“Whacha doing?” a cheery little voice asks.

Carmilla turns and finds a girl with a warm, bright smile looking at her. _What was her name, again? Lauren? Lois?_

_Laura._

It was easy to remember hers because it fit her so perfectly. Carmilla is pretty sure she couldn’t remember anyone else’s, though.

“None of your business,” Carmilla replies. Just because she knows Laura’s name doesn’t mean she has to be nice to her.

 

“Oh.” Laura visibly deflates a bit before holding out something she was hiding behind her back. “Well. This is for you.”

Carmilla stares down at a small bundle of chocolate chip cookies wrapped in a plastic bag. “For me?”

Laura nods eagerly. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

“I-I… I don’t have anything for you,” Carmilla admits shyly.

“I don’t need anything from you. I just thought everyone deserves a Valentine’s Day package, especially if they’re new here. Being eight years old is hard enough.” Laura’s smile returns and she turns to walk away.

Carmilla follows her, cradling her package of sweets carefully in her hands. “This was really nice of you.”

 

Laura shrugs, her smile widening. “You wanna be friends?”

Carmilla pauses, taken aback by her bluntness. “Uhm… sure.”

“Yay!” Laura skips for a bit and Carmilla follows her, amused. “I can ask my mommy and daddy if you can come over this weekend and we can bake more cookies! Or watch this show called _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. Or––”

Carmilla opens the wrapping and has an idea. “Laura?”

Laura pauses and turns around. “Yes, Carmilla?”

“I do have something for you for Valentine’s Day,” Carmilla replies with a small grin.

Laura blinks in surprise. “You do?”

Carmilla nods and carefully takes one cookie, holding it out for Laura. “We can share these!”

 

Laura stares down at it for a few seconds and suddenly Carmilla realizes how lame she’s being.

“I’m sorry,” Carmilla says meekly, waiting for the floor to open up and swallow her whole. “This was dumb.”

Laura shakes her head, giggling. “No, this was sweet,” she insists. “I was just trying to figure out if it’s too soon.”

“If what’s too soon?” Carmilla asks, confused.

“If it’s too soon to ask you to be my Valentine,” Laura replies.

Carmilla’s smiles as she holds out her hand again. “Only if you have this cookie.”

Laura’s face lights up and she takes the cookie. “Deal.”

She also wants to tell Carmilla that she’s the most beautiful girl she’s ever seen, but that declaration can wait for a bit.

 

* * *

 

 

“Laura, sweetie, can you take the cookies out?”

Laura nods and dons the oven mitts before removing the shortbread cookies and quickly removing the oven mitts. “Can I call Carm, now?”

Her mother laughs and waves her off. “Yeah, yeah. Tell her I say hi.”

Laura pulls her mother into a warm hug, gives her a peck on the cheek, and bounces off, hitting her #3 speed dial. It picks up on the second ring.

“Hello?” Carmilla’s bored tone comes through and Laura smiles.

 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Laura squeals. “ _Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Caaaarm, happy birthday to you!_ ”

Carmilla chuckles. “Thank you, cupcake.”

“So whatcha got planned?” Laura asks. “I assume no party since I wasn’t invited to anything. But are there a bunch of balloons? Twelve, one for every year? And a cake? And a whole pile of presents?” Laura’s eyes widen. “Wait. It’s quiet. Don’t tell me you had to sneak away to answer my call. Oh gosh! Am I interrupting? We can hang up and text. Or not even text, coz you’re too busy having fun––”

 

“Oh my god, take a breath, cutie,” Carmilla drawls, chuckling again. “I’m just sitting here reading.”

Laura frowns. “Wait. Today _is_ your birthday, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then wh-wh…”

Carmilla laughs. “You okay over there?”

“Why are you just sitting around and reading?” Laura demands. “Where’s your mom? Where’s Mattie?”

There’s an awkward pause. “Mother took Mattie to go look at colleges.”

“They left you alone on your birthday?” Laura squeaks.

Another awkward pause.

_Oops._

 

“Laura, I gotta go… be anywhere else,” Carmilla says stiffly.

Laura’s eyes widen.

“Wait!” She runs a hand through her hair. “What are you doing this afternoon?”

“Nothing.”

Laura winces at the harshness of Carmilla’s tone. “I… I’m sorry, Carm. Can you please come over to my house? I’ll make it up to you.”

She can actually hear Carmilla roll her eyes. “Fine. I’ll be there around 3.”

 

The call ends and Laura takes a deep breath before heading back to the kitchen. “Hey, mom?”

Her mother stares down at her, already prepared for the request. “Yes, dear. Go ahead.”

 

So a determined Laura Hollis calls their friends Danny, Perry, LaFontaine, Kirsch, Mel, Elsie, Sarah Jane, Betty, and Natalie.

 

At 3pm, the doorbell rings and Laura bounces over to answer it, opening the door just a crack.

“Hi,” Carmilla says flatly.

Laura beams and swings the door all the way open and Carmilla jumps at seeing the entire foyer filled with kids.

“ _HAPPY BIRTHDAY!_ ” everyone shouts with glee.

Streamers and balloons cover the house, along with a large banner with “ _Happy Birthday!!_ ” Laura’s parents walk out with a store-bought ice cream cake that also reads “ _Happy Birthday, Carmilla!_ ”

It’s lit with candles and Laura grins as it makes Carmilla’s face glow. Laura leads the group into singing “Happy Birthday” and giggles as Carmilla’s eyes well up with tears.

 

“Make a wish!” Laura squeals.

Carmilla looks shell-shocked as she nods and pauses before blowing out the candles. She stares at Laura, eyes wide.

“We, uhm, would’ve baked you a cake, but you said you’d be here at 3pm and we didn’t have enough time, so I made my dad go out and buy this and, uh, we don’t all really have presents for you coz I only told everyone a couple hours ago so they rushed over here and decorated––”

“Laura.”

Laura always liked the way Carmilla said her name. Slowly, as if it was something that needed to be pronounced with the utmost care.

Her mouth clamps shut and she laughs nervously. “Hmm?”

 

“This is amazing,” Carmilla breathes out. “Thank you.” Her voice cracks and she buries her face in her hands.

Laura’s mother laughs and ushers her inside, closing the front door. “Okay, okay. Laura’s come up with a full itinerary for the afternoon, and tears are nowhere on that list. Am I right, dear?”

Laura reaches into her pocket and pretends to pull out a dramatically long list, skimming over it. “Mmm, nope.”

Carmilla lets out a watery laugh and is promptly tugged away to the dining room to cut the cake.

 

This is followed by an elaborate game of hide-and-seek in the house, and tag in the backyard, and a movie voted on by everyone–– with Carmilla getting two votes more than the others.

The guests leave around dinnertime and hug Carmilla goodbye.

“Okay, now that everyone’s gone…” Laura pulls out a small wrapped bundle. “Here’s your present.”

Carmilla’s mouth drops open. “You got me a present, _too_?”

Laura nods, grinning. “I didn’t want to make the others look bad.”

“You shouldn’t have. The party and the cake and the games and the movie… it was already so much,” Carmilla says softly.

Laura shrugs before gesturing around the gift. “Open it!”

 

Carmilla chuckles and carefully picks it apart.

“Cookies.”

“Your favorite,” Laura nods. “My mom and I baked them this morning and I was gonna bring it over to you tonight––”

Carmilla cuts her off by wrapping her arms around Laura and squeezing her in a tight hug. “Thank you so much.”

Laura hugs her back. “Happy birthday, Carm.”

Carmilla pulls back, wiping at tears.

 

Laura leads her to the living room couch, handing her a box of tissues. “So…”

Carmilla narrows her eyes suspiciously. “So?”

“What did you wish for?” Laura asks slyly.

Carmilla rolls her eyes. “If I tell you, it won’t come true. And I really want it to come true.”

Laura crosses her arms with a huff. “Fine.”

 

Carmilla wished for Laura to become her best friend.

 

* * *

 

 

Cookies.

 

Adjusting to being freshmen at high school was hard and difficult, but Laura Hollis and Carmilla Karnstein were making their way through it together, as best friends do.

But then Laura’s mom died.

 

There’s a knock on the door as Carmilla is putting on her jacket to rush over to Laura’s.

“Ugh, Mattie, can you get rid of whoever it is? I need to get to Laura.”

Footsteps go to the door before a few seconds pass and Mattie pokes her head into Carmilla’s room. “You won’t have to go far, dear.”

She steps aside and reveals Laura, whose entire face is swollen from crying.

“Oh, cupcake,” Carmilla whispers, not knowing what to say.

Mattie gives Laura a small squeeze on the shoulder, a kiss on the forehead, and leaves them alone.

 

Laura surges forward and buries her face in Carmilla’s shoulder, crying. Carmilla tightens her hold on her and they stand there for a while until Laura’s cries turn into small sobs. She finally pulls away, wiping at her face before Carmilla carefully lets go, leading her to her bed and handing her a box of tissues.

 

“I was about to head over to your house,” Carmilla says softly.

“My dad gave me the keys to go home while he finished up at the hospital,” Laura says between hiccupping gasps. “But everything there felt like I was suffocating, so I had to leave. I mean, I know we knew she was sick and everything, but I just… It never felt like there was enough time,” she says, sniffling as her voice cracks.

“There wasn’t,” Carmilla replies gently.

 

The funeral blurs by and Carmilla spends days just sitting with Laura.

Her friends take turns dropping off food while Carmilla makes sure Laura and her father are eating it. They don’t put up much of a fight–– both seem to be numbed and on autopilot. Laura manages to get her homework done early and studying done, and their downtime is spent with reruns of Laura’s favorite shows playing quietly in the living room while Carmilla reads beside her.

 

Two months after the funeral, Carmilla settles in on the couch for some leisurely Sunday afternoon reading. But instead of putting on a _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ DVD, Laura bounces down the stairs.

Carmilla tries not to make a big deal out of it, but she does raise an eyebrow.

“Put down the book, Carm,” Laura says brightly. She tugs Carmilla off the couch and into the kitchen. “We’re making oatmeal cookies.”

 

Carmilla smiles. Baking cookies every other weekend had been a regular occurrence, and it always put Laura in a better mood.

It was mostly something done between Laura and her mother, but Carmilla had been allowed the privilege of joining a few times over the years.

And so they made the batter and got it on the pan and ready for the oven.

Laura lets out a laugh when she sees that Carmilla has somehow gotten batter all over her arms and shirt, and asks Carmilla to get the entire batch into the oven while she fetches her another shirt.

Carmilla chuckles and her smile widens because she hasn’t heard Laura’s laugh in _so_ long. She had missed the pep in the girls’ step.

 

Laura brings down a black t-shirt and takes Carmilla’s shirt to wash.

It isn’t until the cookies are done and Carmilla’s taken them out to cool down before she realizes Laura still isn’t back yet. She slowly heads upstairs and finds Laura frozen in a doorway.

The doorway to her parents’ bedroom.

There’s a reason Laura’s father has been sleeping in his office for weeks.

 

“Laura?”

 

Laura’s body is rigid before it jerks and she whirls around, her eyes wide. “I…”

She doesn’t speak any further and Carmilla takes a wary step closer, waiting.

“I was going to check to see if my dad had anything that needed to be washed, when it hit me… I haven’t been to this half of the floor since…”

Carmilla watches as Laura’s eyes well up again and she lets out a sniffle.

She takes another step forward and Laura leans in, crying harder. “I miss her so much and I thought if we baked cookies––”

 

That’s all Carmilla can make out for a bit so she just nods and pulls Laura closer.

Because right now, that’s all she can offer Laura.

This, and the cookies that are ready to be shared.

 

There is also the realization that she is in love with Laura Hollis, that she wants to protect her from the horrors of the world and give her all the happiness she deserves–– but that declaration can wait for a bit.

 

* * *

 

 

The declaration never comes. High school is a whirlwind in which Carmilla gets very into philosophical readings and Laura dives into journalism. Laura spends her free time writing articles and learning how to vlog, while Carmilla joins the debate team and dabbles in art.

But they both carve out time every other weekend to bake cookies.

And when it comes time for college, they find a university that fits both of their needs. Plus an apartment to share.

 

And Carmilla figures her love for Laura was a fluke, which means she’s free to date other girls.

Which is exactly what she does.

 

During their first two years of college, Laura dates her longtime friend Danny and Carmilla has a revolving door of girls.

Carmilla charms her way into their lives and then shuts them out, both emotionally while physically asking them to leave the apartment. Laura picks up their pieces and sees them out with a hug and an offer from a seemingly endless plate of cookies.

One time, Danny asks why Laura puts up with it, and Laura simply replies that it’s no big deal. She doesn’t know Carmilla overhears from the next room.

 

But then Carmilla finds “The One.” A girl named Ell, who’s full of life and sees through Carmilla’s tough-person façade. She doesn’t let Carmilla push her away and suddenly Laura sees a lot less of Carmilla.

Carmilla takes Ell to meet Mother during winter break, and all Laura gets is a couple texts wishing her happy holidays.

It isn’t until the break ends that it all comes crashing down.

 

Laura has only just gotten back to the apartment for an hour or so, and unpacking has taken most of that time. She sits on the couch, waiting to see if Carmilla is going to even bother sleeping in the apartment the night before classes start.

And then she hears a sniffle. Laura furrows her eyebrows together. She grabs the first thing she can get her hands on–– a rolling pin–– and heads towards the source of the sound.

It isn’t until she approaches Carmilla’s room that she lowers the rolling pin and peeks through the door, which is cracked open. This movement makes a floorboard creak and Carmilla jumps on her bed, clutching a tissue in her hand. “Cupcake?”

Laura sighs and pushes the door open the rest of the way. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

 

Carmilla’s obviously been crying for a while and sniffles again.

“What… Uh, what happened?” Laura asks slowly.

“Ell met my mom,” Carmilla says simply.

Laura’s heart breaks at how that simple explanation could be so profound.

 

As far as Laura knows, she’s the only one who knows who Carmilla’s mother is. Carmilla had kept her father’s last name so as to not be associated with the infamous Lilita Morgan–– a sharp politician with no regard to who she needs to take down in order to get more power. In the time since moving herself, Mattie, and Carmilla to Styria, she’s risen in the ranks quicker than any person before her. Her ruthlessness is both impressive and intimidating and Mattie learned the hard way that most people would rather flee from Lilita Morgan than hold a conversation.

Mattie had always told Carmilla to distance herself from their mother whenever possible.

Laura had only met her because she’d stayed with Carmilla’s family for a bit after her own mother had passed away. And even then, Carmilla and Mattie had worked hard to make sure there was minimal interaction–– which didn’t mean much in the end when their mother made some callous remark about Laura’s father abandoning her.

But Laura had practically leapt across the dining room table and shouted in Miss Morgan’s face about how her father loves her more than she loved both of her children combined. Carmilla was sure her best friend would end up being kicked out after that. Instead her mother laughed and said, “I like her. Feisty. Do keep her around, Carmilla.”

Which she did.

 

Laura sucks in a breath.

“Yeah.” Carmilla flops back onto her pillow. “I don’t even know what she said. One moment, Ell and I were fine. And the next thing I know, Mother’s convinced Ell that she’s not good enough for me and Ell is agreeing with her and she’s out the door.”

Laura sits at the foot of Carmilla’s bed. “Oh, Carm.”

Carmilla lets out a shaky breath. “I thought she’d be The One, you know?”

Laura nods, reaching out and giving Carmilla’s hand a squeeze. “But if she can’t handle your mom, then maybe it was for the best. You deserve better than that.”

Carmilla blinks at her in surprise, before recovering and chuckling. “Great,” she says dryly. “Now when we go to parties, it’ll be me moping in a corner while you and Danny have the time of your lives.”

 

Laura swallows hard. “Yeah… about that…”

Carmilla raises an eyebrow.

“Danny and I broke up a couple months ago,” Laura blurts out.

Carmilla almost falls off the bed. “ _WHAT_?”

Laura winces. “We realized we didn’t want the same things so we ended it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Carmilla growls.

“I-I tried,” Laura stammers, “but every time I started to say it, you cut me off with a ‘bye, buttercup,’ or ‘see you later, sundance,’ and walked out with Ell.”

Carmilla would take time to admire Laura’s spot-impression of her later. Right now, her mouth is hanging open. “Laura…”

 

Laura laughs nervously. “Yep. We can mope together at parties again, just like old times.”

Carmilla shakes her head. “So you were alone for Christmas and New Year?”

“I mean… I was with my dad…”

Carmilla groans and buries her face in her hands. “How did I mess everything up so badly?”

 

“Hey, hey, you didn’t mess anything up,” Laura says immediately, shifting so she’s closer to Carmilla. “Your mom played dirty with El. And we’re fine.”

Carmilla sniffles and slowly meets Laura’s eyes. “Are we?”

Laura nods, giving her a warm smile. “I know what’ll make everything better.” She crawls off the bed and holds one hand out.

“What?”

“The only thing I can offer you right now. Cookies.”

Carmilla grins and takes her hand.

 

Laura leads her to the kitchen, trying to figure out when to tell her the whole story of why she and Danny really broke up.

It was because Danny realized Laura was in love with Carmilla. At first Laura was outraged by the notion, but Danny insisted. Laura gradually came to terms with it over the holiday break.

But that declaration can wait for a bit.

 

* * *

 

 

One year goes by and they’re finishing their junior year, trying to figure out what to do with their lives post-graduation.

Laura gets a serious offer with an entry-level position at a newspaper. Something is bothering Carmilla, and she can’t quite place it until Laura starts looking at places. Carmilla decides that enough is enough.

“You can’t go,” Carmilla blurts out when Laura is rattling off renting prices.

 

“What?” Laura’s eyes widen. “I mean I know that place was a little pricey for a two-bedroom, but––”

Carmilla shakes her head. “You shouldn’t go.”

“Why not?”

 _Because I love you_. Carmilla opens her mouth a few times but nothing comes out.

Laura huffs. “So much for being a great debater, Karnstein.”

 

“You can’t go because you’d be leaving your dad alone,” Carmilla finally says lamely.

“Yeah, well, something tells me he can find acting jobs in Canada and will follow me there,” Laura sighs, checking the kitchen timer for the peanut butter cookies.

Carmilla rolls her eyes. “You’d be leaving all your friends. You’d be leaving––”

She cuts herself off and Laura cocks her head to the side. “What?”

Carmilla shakes her head. She doesn’t trust her voice so she hops off the kitchen island and starts to leave the apartment.

“Not so fast!” Laura runs and blocks the doorway and Carmilla knows better than to try and move her. “What were you going to say?”

Carmilla leans in close and her lips ghost Laura’s ear. “Move out of the way, cupcake.”

Laura blushes but remains flush against the door.

Carmilla takes two steps back and crosses her arms.

 

“Carm?”

A few seconds pass as Laura tries and fails to discern Carmilla’s unreadable expression.

“What are we?” Carmilla finally asks softly.

Laura looks taken aback. “Huh?”

“Are we friends? Best friends? Roommates?” she demands

Laura closes the space between them, looking hurt. “What’s wrong?”

“I love you,” Carmilla says, her voice cracking. “That’s what’s wrong.”

 

Laura blinks as her eyes well up.

“I’ve loved you for so long and I wanted to tell you but then your mom passed away and then high school got crazy and by the time college started it didn’t feel right anymore. But now college is _ending_ and you want to move away from me. And I just love you so much and don’t want you to go.”

 

The words hang in the air and Carmilla swallows hard, staring at the ground.

A few moments pass before Laura makes a sound.

She laughs.

Carmilla takes a deep breath and looks back up, incredulous. “Are you _laughing_ at my declaration of love?”

Laura nods, tears flowing down her face through her watery laughter. “Yes, you idiot.”

“Wow, okay. I’ll just go outside and lie down in traffic while you move away,” Carmilla says, brushing past Laura.

Laura giggles and grabs her by the arm, stopping her. “Carm.”

 

Carmilla turns slowly, unsure of what Laura’s about to do. Laughing in her face wasn’t exactly on her list of possible outcomes.

“I’m laughing because I love you, too. I’ve loved you for so long but when college started and you were dating all those girls, I figured I should take a hint. But then Danny broke up with me coz she realized I love you and it forced me to deal with it. And I thought I did. God, I thought I did.”

Now it’s Laura’s turn for her voice to crack and Carmilla stands there, dumbfounded.

 

“You love me?” Carmilla asks.

Laura nods.

“Then wh-what…. What was with you saying you want to move away?” Carmilla sputters.

Laura rolls her eyes. “Part two of you being an idiot–– Carm, you got an offer for a teaching position in the same location. I was talking about us moving away _together_.”

Carmilla’s eyes widen. She had been so focused on Laura leaving Styria that she hadn’t even realized _where_ Laura would be moving to.

“Oh.”

Laura laughs through a sob. “It didn’t occur to you I was talking about apartments with _two_ bedrooms?”

Carmilla smacks her forehead with her hand. “I’m an idiot.”

“Yeah, but you’re my idiot.”

 

Laura steps forward and captures Carmilla’s lips in a kiss. Carmilla stumbles back a bit at first but quickly recovers and kisses her back, smiling into it. Laura pulls back with a giggle, but Carmilla immediately pulls her back in to kiss her again with a chuckle.

The oven timer dings.

This is the first time they leave the cookies in the oven too long and they burn.

It will not be the last.

  

* * *

 

 

“Cookies,” Laura whispers into Carmilla’s ear.

Carmilla squints up at her, realizing her head was resting on their shared work desk in their apartment. The sky is slowly transitioning from nighttime into sunrise, the cool morning air suddenly sending chills through Carmilla.

“Wait, why are you still awake?” she asks, her voice thick with sleep. She blinks slowly. “Why are we sleeping at the desk?”

Laura giggles. “Uhm, _you_ were sleeping at the desk.”

Carmilla pauses mid-yawn and frowns at her, embarrassed. “Oh.”

Laura gives Carmilla a kiss on the cheek and then a peck on the lips. “Don’t you have to finish grading these by the morning?”

Carmilla nods with a groan, putting her head back down.

 

“I’ll make you some coffee. And I was gonna bake some gingerbread cookies with the leftover ingredients from the gingerbread house,” Laura says, walking away.

Carmilla hums, watching as Laura makes her way to the kitchen before returning to her work.

Soon enough, Laura comes back and places a cup of coffee on a coaster near Carmilla, cradling her own mug. She sits silently, taking small sips and watching as Carmilla’s eyebrows furrow together in concentration.

“Well, this coffee isn’t doing anything for me. Hopefully it’ll help you,” Laura says, stretching with a yawn.

“Thanks, cutie,” Carmilla murmurs when she finally sips from her own mug.

Laura nods with a giggle, kissing the crinkle on Carmilla’s forehead before she goes to check on the cookies. The smell of gingerbread fills the apartment and Carmilla can feel herself relaxing and working through the remainder of the stack of papers.

“Be careful not to––”

“––Ouch!” Laura pouts from the kitchen.

Carmilla rolls her eyes with a smirk. “––burn yourself.”

Laura returns, looking as sheepish as ever as she sets a plate of cookies at the table. “You know me too well,” she says, blinking sleepily.

 

Carmilla laughs and takes a bite out of one, letting out a moan. “That tastes amazing.”

Laura beams at her before swiping one of her own. “What would you do without me?”

Carmilla gets up and kisses Laura on the lips, grinning into it. “I hope I never have to find out.”

“I love you,” Laura sighs happily, pulling Carmilla into another kiss.

Laura’s phone beeps from the kitchen and she looks at the time on Carmilla’s laptop. “Oh! It’s finally midnight where my dad is. I’m gonna go text him happy birthday. Aaaand, before I forget…” She strolls over to her laptop and presses one key before leaving to go find her phone.

 

Carmilla’s eyes widen. Whereas she had fallen asleep on a pile of her students’ papers and clearly left a drool spot on them, Laura’s newest article was in the middle of coming out of the printer.

 _I’m pretty sure when I fell asleep, she had just started writing it_ , Carmilla realizes.

 

Laura had stayed up even after her all-nighter to make sure Carmilla finished her own work, supplying her with coffee and baked sweets.

 

Laura returns, her eyelids drooping.

Carmilla grins. “You know… I’m almost done with these papers… I think we both know what’s in order.”

“A nice long nap after my long night of hard work?” Laura suggests hopefully, failing to suppress another yawn.

Carmilla laughs. “Whatever you want, cutie.”

Laura nods slowly, a lazy smile growing as she walks towards their bedroom.

Carmilla stares at the plate of gingerbread cookies in front of her, with one thought in mind—

 

 _I’m gonna ask Laura Hollis to marry me_.

 

* * *

 

 

“It all happened too little, too late,” Carmilla says, staring numbly at the headstone. “Do you ever feel that way?”

“Every day,” Laura’s father nods.

Carmilla shifts, her eyes trained on the cold rock in front of her.

“Carmilla…” Sherman sighs, putting his hand in his pockets. “I never thanked you.”

Carmilla drags her eyes away and looks at him expectantly.

“I never thank you for being there for Laura after her mother passed away. I know I wasn’t around as much as I should’ve been, and she never held that against me. But you were her rock. You always were.”

Carmilla swallows hard. “It was my pleasure, sir.”

 

He smiles warmly at her. “Do you remember when you girls were in fifth grade and she tired to rally the class against the evils of princess culture?”

Carmilla nods, chuckling. “And she got escorted into the principal’s office and they were like, ‘Oh, it’s the girl who uncovered that the vice principal was embezzling money from the Candy Gram fund. Let her off with a warning.’”

He laughs heartily and it makes Carmilla smile. “And you two came home that day and she told us. And I was terrified by how strong-minded she was. But not her mother.”

She watches as his smile fades and his eyes water up.

“No, not my wife. She sat Laura down and said, ‘that’s my Laura,’ and they baked cookies together while she had Laura tell the story all over again.”

Carmilla’s heart warms at the memory.

Sherman nudges her, his smile returning. “But you know what else I remember?”

She shakes her head.

“I glanced over to you and you had the same look on your face as Laura’s mother. Pure pride and adoration. _Love_.”

Carmilla stares at him, unsure of how to reply.

“As if you were lucky to have her in your life.” He chuckles softly. “And you are. But she’s also so lucky to have you, Carmilla. She always has been and always will be.”

 

“Dad, you’re not getting mushy on us again, are you?” Laura teases, walking up to the headstone. “Coz if so, then I’ve learned my lesson–– I will never forget Mom’s flowers in the car again. No need to punish Carm, too.”

Carmilla and Sherman share a laugh as Laura sets the flowers down at her mother’s grave. She reaches into her backpack and sets down a small paper plate with cookies.

“You wanna go first, kiddo?” Sherman asks.

Laura nods, stepping back and taking Carmilla’s hand.

 

“Hey, mom,” Laura says. “Guess not much has changed–– still crashing your Valentine’s Day dates with dad,” she begins, making everyone chuckle. “Things are great. I’m an actual journalist, working the crime beat. Dad’s thrilled about that.”

Sherman pretends to grab at his chest and wheeze, getting a giggle from Laura.

“But Carm and I moved back home. She’s teaching at our ol’ university. We’ve settled down in a nice apartment right by the house.”

Laura pauses, her words catching in her throat.

“I miss you so much,” she says, her voice cracking.

Carmilla gives Laura’s hand a squeeze.

They stand there for a bit longer before Laura gives a few small nods and starts to walk away. She offers her father a loving pat as they go past him to allow him some time alone.

 

Sherman takes a deep, shaky breath and remains silent for a couple minutes. “I love you. And you’d be so proud of our Laura,” he says simply.

Then he heads back to the car.

 

The ride back is quiet and Laura drops him off at the house after triple-checking that he doesn’t want to spend the day with them.

“Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to mean the same thing for all of us, honey,” Sherman says before giving Laura a bear hug and Carmilla a warm handshake and a wink.

 

Laura parks the car in the street and lets out a long exhale once they step inside their apartment.

“All I want is some of the chocolate chip cookies I baked for my mom,” she says lightly as she walks into the kitchen.

Carmilla shakes her head in amusement. “One-track mind, Hollis.”

Laura snatches a couple out of the Tupperware and hands one to Carmilla, grinning as she bites into her own. “Ah, almost as good as my mom’s,” she sighs happily.

Carmilla nods in agreement as they both go for another.

 

“Thanks for coming today, Carm. And for coming every year,” Laura says softly. “It means a lot to me.”

She leans over and gives Carmilla a peck on the lips.

“You’re very welcome, cutie,” Carmilla replies.

She plays around with her cookie for a few seconds before speaking again.

“She would be so proud of you, Laura.”

 

“Thanks.” Laura swallows hard, putting her cookie down. “You know what’s funny?”

Carmilla looks at her expectantly.

“Mom hated cookies. She never ate them.”

“What?” Carmilla’s eyes widen.

Laura nods, giggling. “My grandma loved them, so my mom baked them with her. And my dad loves his sweets, so she just kept making them when they got together. And you know my sweet tooth. But she never enjoyed eating them herself.” She shrugs. “She just… liked making them for people she loved.”

Carmilla gives her a small, warm smile. “She was amazing.”

“I think my favorite part was she was so spontaneous with it. Yeah, we wound up baking every weekend… But the type of cookie was always random. Whatever we wanted to make in the moment, y’know? I loved that about her.”

Carmilla walks over and wraps her arms around Laura, resting her chin on Laura’s shoulder.

 

“There are too many cookies,” Laura says suddenly, narrowing her eyes at the container in front of them.

Carmilla’s eyes widen. “Wh- Huh?” she sputters.

Laura frowns and turns to look at her, eyebrows furrowed. “I only make two layers of cookies per Tupperware. This one has three.”

Carmilla chokes on her words, stammering, “I-I don’t know… what you’re…”

Laura wriggles her way out of Carmilla’s embrace and she slowly lifts the top two sheets of cookies out of the container.

Carmilla lets go of Laura and tries to get the container, but Laura grabs it and runs across the room, leaving Carmilla to bury her face in her hands.

 

“Sugar cookies with words on them?” Laura’s face bunches up in confusion and concentration. “Will… You… Marry… Me…”

She stares at Carmilla.

“Where’d you buy these cookies?”

 

Carmilla lets out a long, embarrassed groan. “ _I made them_ , you idiot.”

“Oh.”

Laura’s eyes widen and her mouth drops open.

“ _OH_.”

Carmilla still has her face covered by her hands. “Could you just kill me now? Coz I think that would be less mortifying than this conversation.”

Laura laughs nervously. “Wow. That is…”

She walks back and puts the container down.

“Carm?” she tries through a giggle.

“Carmilla Karnstein isn’t here right now. She died from embarrassment,” Carmilla replies, muffled.

Laura laughs and takes Carmilla’s hands in hers, pulling them off her face. “Carm, I was gonna propose tonight,” Laura admits with a grin.

 

Carmilla’s jaw drops. “You were?”

“We’ve officially been friends for twenty years. It felt right,” Laura says sheepishly. “I had a whole thing planned with, uhm, well–– I was gonna tell you I bought you this new edition of a collection of philosophy quotes, but it’s a hollowed-out book and inside is-is a ring…”

Carmilla’s eyes well up and she lets out a watery laugh. “You dork.”

“…It took me hours to cut a hole out of a random dictionary and strip off the cover a-and I actually, that’s actually how I got all those paper cuts the other night…”

Carmilla lets out another laugh and pulls Laura in for a kiss. “Is that a ‘yes, you’ll marry me?’”

Laura nods, tears streaming down her cheeks. “That’s a ‘I wish you had saved me the trouble, but you’re worth it, so of course,’” she says around a fit of giggles.

“Good, coz I asked your dad and I think he’d actually grab his chest in pain for real if we _didn’t_ get married,” Carmilla teases.

 

Laura throws her head back in a laugh, kissing Carmilla deeply again before peppering her with smaller kisses.

Carmilla rests her forehead on Laura’s and lets out a happy sigh. “Laura Hollis, thank you for being my first Valentine, my best friend, and the love of my life.”

Laura grins. “Thank you for making every moment feel worthy of cookies,” she says very seriously.

 

Carmilla chuckles and reaches into the container of cookies, pulling out one of her marriage proposal ones.

And they eat it just like they ate their first cookie together.

By sharing it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! And as always, stay awesome <3


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